MAKES 24 COOKIES
Tart cherries have such a short season that it’s good that someone had the forward thinking to dry them. Use them anywhere you might use a raisin, or in this case, someplace you might never have used a raisin.
2 cups quick-cooking oats
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 large eggs
1½ cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup dark or semisweet chocolate chunks
1 cup dried tart cherries
In a food processor, pulse 1½ cups of the oats until they’re the consistency of bread crumbs. Mix in the unprocessed oats and set aside.
In a stand mixer with a paddle attachment or a large bowl with an electric mixer, cream the brown sugar and butter together, then add the vanilla, then the eggs, one at a time, and beat until thoroughly mixed. In a separate bowl, combine the oats, flour, baking soda, and salt, then gradually add that mixture to the creamed butter and sugar. Stir in the chocolate chunks and cherries. Cover the dough and refrigerate for at least 2 hours; longer is fine.
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with silicone baking mats or parchment paper.
Drop heaping tablespoonfuls of the dough onto the baking sheets, about 2 inches apart. Bake, rotating the pans after 5 minutes, for 10 to 12 minutes. Cool on a wire rack and wait patiently nearby with a glass of milk.
I like to sprinkle each cookie with coarse sea salt before baking.